She settled into the seat and, to her revulsion, Carr sat next to her instead of across. She adjusted the bouquet of roses in her lap with the hopes that if he got too close, a thorn would scratch him.
“To Saint Rennard’s glen,” Captain Carr ordered the driver.
It was a cloudy day, and Bryn hoped it would rain to cut short this excursion, but the sky remained dry. Captain Carr offered her an orange biscuit, but she declined, blaming an upset stomach.
As the carriage rumbled over the courtyard cobblestones toward the mulched paths of Saint’s Forest, Bryn felt an unexpected nostalgia. Her childhood at Castle Mir had been highly sheltered, so wandering Saint’s Forest on her own had been the only time she’d felt free. No wonder she’d come to love the Baersladen with its ancient forests and windswept mountains. Saint’s Forest was lovely, but it was like everything else in the Mirien: carefully controlled.
Captain Carr cleared his throat awkwardly. “I had hoped to take this opportunity to discuss your future prospects, Lady Bryn.”
Dread rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down. She asked, “Oh?”
“If you’ll forgive me for being blunt, many now consider you to be a ruined woman after what you underwent in the Baersladen. I refer to the violations that occurred at the hands of the Barendur princes.”
She couldn’t keep her anger from reddening her cheeks. “I was married to Prince Trei—I would hardly consider myself ruined for having relations with my husband.”
He conceded this with a nod. “I was thinking more of Prince Rangar’s . . .attention.”
Bryn turned sharply to look out at the trees, unable to look Captain Carr in the eyes. Hands squeezed tightly in her lap, she said in a guarded voice, “It’s true that Prince Rangar made me do unladylike acts, but I can assure you, I was a virgin on my wedding day.”
Captain Carr’s eyes dragged their way down her body, shamelessly inspecting every curve. “Perhaps, but there are those who say a woman ravished by a Baer prince is ruined whether her purity remains intact or not.”
She folded her arms tightly, unable to keep the anger off her face.
He leaned forward, resting his arm behind her back. “Look at you blushing. I didn’t intend to humiliate you, Lady Bryn, only to state a hard reality. You’re no longer a virgin. You’ve been improperly touched by more than one Baer savage. There are not many men of standing who would, in good conscience, marry you now.”
The captain’s argument was utterly ludicrous, and she marveled at his gall. She was the future queen. Her husbandwould be king of the wealthiest kingdom in the Eyrie. She could have spread her legs on the Little Table before the kingdom’s top advisors and still had princes clamoring for her hand.
“I’m grateful for your honest appraisal,” she said between a clenched jaw. “You can imagine how much I value honesty after all I’ve been through. It’s timely for you to bring up Prince Rangar. I’ve been troubled by the fact that my captor is under the same roof, even if he is in the dungeon. I’ve been having these nightmares, you see, that he gets loose. I thought if I could see him locked up, it might give me some peace of mind . . . ”
Captain Carr placed his calloused hand on her knee and rasped, “You can trust me, Lady Bryn. The prisoner is secure.”
“Still—”
“Seeing that rogue would only upset your delicate constitution.”
The carriage rumbled over the paths, skirting the stream that babbled through Saint’s Forest. They had almost reached the water shrine.
Just a few more minutes, Bryn assured herself.And I can get out of this damnable carriage.
Captain Carr plucked an orange biscuit from the silver tray and held it up to her mouth in what she assumed was supposed to be a seductive gesture.
“I have always had your best interest at heart.” His breath smelled strongly ofstatuapipe herb. “I assured your parents that if anything should ever happen to them, I would see to your well-being. And since your marriage prospects are so low, I believe it is my duty—and my honor, of course—to offer you my hand—”
No sooner had he begun the proposal than an arrow shot straight into the carriage door.
Bryn jumped, letting out a shriek.
The driver immediately reined the horses to a halt.
Bryn’s heart cranked up. She ducked low, though there was little cover in the open-topped carriage. A year ago, she would have screamed and thrown herself to the bottom of the carriage. Now, she knew better how to protect herself.
Instantly on guard, Captain Carr leaned over the carriage side to wrench the arrow out of the splintered wood. He held it up, noting the bushcraft make of the arrow, and snapped into military mode.
“This isn’t a Mir army arrow.” He snapped at the driver, “Go. Back to Castle Mir.Now.”
The driver tried to steer the panicking horses into a turn, though the path was too narrow, and they had to veer into the woods.
Another arrow zinged through the air just over Bryn’s head.
